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These are some of the more commonly asked questions by visitors to the park. Questions are divided into five areas: General Park, General Lake Powell (including Rainbow Bridge), Colorado River (Lees Ferry, Horseshoe Bend), Downlake (Wahweap, Glen Canyon Dam, lower half of Lake Powell), Uplake (Escalante, Bullfrog, Halls Crossing, upper half of Lake Powell), and North (Hite, Orange Cliffs). General ParkThe Recreation Area takes up 1.25 million acres (505,868 hectares) across the states of Arizona and Utah. Lake Powell is only 13% of the National Recreation Area, but one of the largest man-made lakes in North America. At full pool (3700' elevation) it is 186 miles (299 km) long, has 1960 miles (3161 km) of shoreline, over 96 major side canyons, and a capacity of 27 million acre-feet (32 million cubic meters). Its maximum depth (at Glen Canyon Dam) is 561 feet (171 m). Currently (Sept 2024) at 3576.79 ft, while the extent of the shoreline is unknown, Lake Powell is storing 9.3 million acre-feet of water. This gets a little complicated, so hang on:
Simple, huh? If your reservations are for somewhere inside our park boundaries, at Lower & Upper Antelope Canyon, or in the City of Page, we suggest hard setting your device to Arizona time to avoid confusion. Read up about our campgrounds and undeveloped camping areas on our camping page.
Maybe. You may find limited coverage in some areas of the park. In other areas, coverage is poor to nonexistent. In general, if you can see Navajo Mountain, you probably have service, but do not count on that. No, the park is open 24 hours a day. View Seasonal Hours to see if your favorite facilities in Glen Canyon are currently open. There are five visitor centers that serve Glen Canyon. Not all of them are open all year. Our most-visited one, Carl Hayden Visitor Center at Glen Canyon Dam is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Glen Canyon Conservancy operates the bookstores in our visitor centers. Visit them online or in person at the visitor centers or at their Flagship store at 12 N Lake Powell Blvd. Automated Fee Machines are available at all of our entrance stations when there are no humans available to help. Weekly and Annual passes are currently available online. Tiered vessel passes are available online. Learn more on our Fees page.
Yes. If you are an educational group whose visit is educational rather than recreational, you can apply for an entrance fee waiver. Antelope Slot Canyon is operated by the Navajo Tribal Parks and Recreation Department and is on land owned by the Navajo Nation. Because it is not part of the National Park System, they do not accept the America the Beautiful Pass or the Glen Canyon Pass for admittance. You can get a general idea of seasonal conditions and temperature and precipitation averages on our weather page. Get a current land based and marine based forecast from the National Weather Service. Yes, pets are allowed most places in Glen Canyon, if they stay on a six-foot or shorter leash. Pets must stay on board your vessel in marinas and at Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Do not leave your pet alone on your vessel. Read more about visiting with your pet. Yes. You can scatter ashes in most areas of Glen Canyon without a permit. You may not leave behind any containers, plaques, or other permanent items.
No. Launching, landing, or operating unmanned aircraft (such as drones, quadcopters, or model airplanes) is prohibited. Read more about the prohibition on drones. We love our volunteers! The National Park Service needs volunteers throughout the year to assist with all aspects of park management. Read more about volunteer opportunities. Learn more about Working With Us. General Lake PowellThere are no designated hiking trails along the lake itself. However, you may walk the shoreline on most areas of the lake. There are few shoreline areas that are accessible by vehicle. However, there are some that require only an easy to moderate walk from your vehicle. Keep in mind that many shorelines have uneven terrain and steep banks. Always use caution when walking along the shore. For other day hikes, visit the hiking page. Fishing is allowed from nearly anywhere along the shoreline. While there are few roads that go to Lake Powell shores, there are several where it is an easy to moderate walk to the shore. Fishing is not allowed from the marinas, except on designated fishing docks. Park concessioners Aramark and Antelope Point may offer shuttle services to kayakers and others. There are also guided kayak/SUP services that are authorized to do business on Lake Powell. Contact them directly for prices and availability. It's sometimes referred to as the 'bathtub ring' and is caused by the calcium carbonate and other hard minerals in the water that attach themselves to the sandstone leaving behind a white mark. The top of the white mark is the high water mark.
17 years - Lake Powell started filling in 1963 and reached full pool for the first time in 1980. Swimming is permitted in Lake Powell anywhere but marina areas. If you do not have access to a boat, there is a swim beach for public use at Wahweap. Go through the parking lot of the previous swim beach to the dirt parking area. It is a short walk from there to the water. The parking area, walk, and shoreline are not paved or accessible to mobility devices. There are no lifeguards anywhere on Lake Powell. Swim at your own risk. Rainbow Bridge National Monument is only accessible by boat or by a fourteen-mile (one way) hike.
If you take a boat yourself, the average boating time is 3 to 4 hours for a standard speed boat. The trip is approximately 50 miles (80.5km) one way down lake from Bullfrog or up lake from Wahweap/Antelope Point. Individual boat speeds will vary. The engine size and tonnage of individual boats will determine the trip length. Houseboats will take considerably longer. Tour boat trips may be available depending on lake level and the concessioner’s tour schedule. If you choose to hike around Navajo Mountain, you must have a permit from the Navajo Nation. Colorado RiverThe Colorado River is 1450 miles (2330 km) long. It originates in Rocky Mountain National Park near Grand Lake, CO and should end in Gulf of California. The section of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam stretches 15 miles before it reaches Lees Ferry, where it is then part of Grand Canyon National Park. You have a few options for kayaking at Lees Ferry. You may bring your own paddlecraft, or rent one through a guided kayak tour company. These companies can also backhaul your kayak up the Colorado River so you can paddle back down on your own. Even if you are only going for a day trip, please fill out a free Lees Ferry backcountry permit at the lanch ramp. When on a self-powered vessel on the Colorado River, you must wear a US Coast Guard-approved lifejacket at all times.
DownlakeGlen Canyon Dam is 710 feet (216.4 m) high, from the bedrock to the crest. Construction started in 1956 and was completed in 1963. The powerplant was completed in 1966. The US Bureau of Reclamation operates Glen Canyon Dam and all of the infrastructure along the Colorado River. The Upper Colorado River pact has decided to release water from upstream dams and keep Lake Powell relatively stable. Read about their 24 and future operations here. Yes, the Glen Canyon Dam meets electricity needs for the Western Grid. Power generation is the secondary purpose for the dam. Water storage is the priority, and if the lake levels drop again, the US Bureau of Reclamation will cut down electricity production before releasing more water than needed. Carl Hayden was an Arizona senator and a supporter of water development in Arizona including the building of Glen Canyon Dam. Whn he died in 1969, the US Bureau of Reclamatio renamed the Glen Canyon Visitor Center after him. UplakeDriving time from Bullfrog Visitor Center to Boulder along the Burr Trail is about 2 ½ hours, while continuing to the Escalante Visitor Center will make the total trip about 3 hours. The trip can take longer depending on how many stops are made along the way. Part of the trail is paved; the unpaved part is accessible via a typical passenger car most times of the year. Check for current road conditions. One way mileage is approximately 67 miles. The Hole-in-the-Rock road is a 62 mile (100 km) drive (one way) runs from Escalante, Utah to the actual Hole-in-the-Rock on the western shore of Lake Powell following the general route of of the original Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition. Most of the road is in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, however the last approximately 5 miles are within the boundaries of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Most of the road is passable to high-clearance, two-wheel drive vehicles in dry weather. The last few miles within Glen Canyon are best traveled by foot, bicycle, or high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle. There are numerous side-roads that leave this main road. Nearly all of these are only recommended for four-wheel drive. The trail is very slow going, most visitors who make the journey, will camp over night. Get your free backcountry permit from the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center before you go. For latest road conditions and travel information, call the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center at 435-826-5499 or check the most recent Road Report. If you are having an emergency, call 911. Swimming is permitted in Lake Powell anywhere but marina areas. There are not any official swim beaches at Bullfrog. However, Hobie Cat beach is a popular swimming area. Visitors will also swim near their camps at the Stanton Creek Primitive Campground. All swimming is at your own risk, there are no life guards on duty. Defiance House Archeological Site, three miles up the middle fork of Forgotten Canyon, is one of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan dwellings in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. You can only reach it by boat, then a short but steep hike. Individual boat speeds will vary. It typically takes about 1 to 1 ½ hours drive uplake from Bullfrog and Halls Crossing to mile 106. Depending on lake levels there is a walk of unknown milage to the site. Wear good shoes.
Houseboats and speed boats are available for rent at Bullfrog from Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas. They do not rent boats from Halls Crossing.
There are several short walks within the Bullfrog Uplake district, including the Pedestal Alley trail, the Campground Nature trail, and several unofficial slot canyon trails. Learn more on our Hiking page. Trails outside the Bullfrog Uplake district are considerable, and include hikes on Bureau of Land Management land in the Henry Mountains and those off of the Burr trail in Capitol Reef National Park. There are no bullfrogs in Bullfrog. Most historians believe the area was named after the Bullfrog Rapids that occurred on the Colorado River at the confluence of Bullfrog Creek. Also, legend has it that the area is named after a rock formation on Mt. Ellsworth in the Henry mountains. The rock formation is visible from Highway 276 going towards Bullfrog. See if you can find it. North |
Last updated: April 14, 2025